Foxborough Board Sets Hard March 17 Deadline for World Cup Safety Deal

FOXBOROUGH — March 3, 2026 — Foxborough Select Board warns it will deny the FIFA World Cup event license if funding and equipment disputes are not resolved by March 17. Representatives of Boston Soccer 2026, the local host committee for seven matches scheduled at Gillette Stadium beginning June 13, offered to backstop all public safety costs with a Kraft Sports and Entertainment guarantee and promised to pay police and fire invoices within two business days of receipt, a faster turnaround than the board has seen for any prior stadium event. But the board and Police Chief Mike Grace rejected the group's proposal to guarantee equipment delivery no later than June 1, with Grace calling it "unacceptable" and telling the board the security plan is in place after more than a year of planning across 14 working groups statewide. Town Counsel Lisa Mion told the board its discretion on payment and safety conditions is not constrained by past licensing practice, directly contradicting an argument made by Boston Soccer 2026 attorney Peter Tam of Goulston and Storrs. The board also heard six town meeting warrant articles including a proposed Neponet Avenue Overlay District governing more than 50 acres of former Schneider Electric industrial land, a $100,000 Taylor School sewer connection, and a Taylor School feasibility study tied to an MSBA grant.